contributor jonathan capehart of the "waington post," nbc news politicaanalyst former pennsylvania governor andhe ndrrent govnorfnoed the queen bee of -- >> great honor. >> it's our honor. the queen bee of the grio.com joy reid and host o cycle, steve kornacki. president obama is minutes away obitveddressing tnt bn ausy morning for both filled with speeches and media appearances in and around new york city. mitt romney spoke to the clinton global itiative and sat down with education nation. president obama spoke to the u.n. general assembly, follow thatirere d the first lady taped for "the view." the meeting of the united nations general assembly has put foreign policy front and center. president obama used the ait tack on the u.s. consulate in libya and the death on ambassador stevens to make the case for a broaderhilophy regardinthtu of the

relations between the middle east and the west. >> the events of the last two wes also speaks to the need for all of us to honestly address the tensions between the west and the arab world that is moving towards demoacy. >> while he mad car tt the videtrkheioe s no reflective of american values the president defended the u.s. response and underscored that free speech is essential to prosperity and to peace. >> as presidentf our country, and cmander in chief of our military, i accept that people argoing to cl me awful things everyay. and i will always defend their right to do so. >> the president then made a pitch to enlist the arab world in combatting extremism. >> a politics based only o anger, one based on dividing the world betweens us and , on sets back international cooperation, it ultimately undermines those who tolerate it. all of us have an interest in standing up to these forces. >> governor romney's speech at

the clinton global initiative had a narror focu ren ai proposing a new policy for overseas contributions. >> the aim of a much larger share of our aid must be the promotion of work and the fostering of free enterprise. nothing we can do a a nation ceesat more effectively and permanently than sharing the insight that lies at the foundation of america's own economy. and that is that free people pursuing happiness in their own ways, build a stron and vedut a new approach for a new era. >> governor ed rendell, two candidates both playing the role of statesman at the same time in the same city or ratively the same time in theame city. president oba, obviously, had the heavier ftsctuay the president and the commander in chief and the events in the middle east has increased the

load in terms of what he must demonstrate to the rest of the world. what did you make of his addre to the u.n. general assembly? did he effectively make the case for americ did he effectively outline aie nat hadick atwoli to alawe america and the middle east? >> i thought you saw both men at their best this morning. one, i thought president obama's speech did just that and i thought it was a good speech. it laid out what we believen as americans. it began to explain to hopefully arab citizens all ove theorld weonon w cut of america, what the essence of free speech is. i thought he did a great job. governor romney, particularly in his education nation interview with brian williams, showed in that setting can be enormously feive, he ed w prepared. it's why i think the debates are going to be very interesting. these debates are not going to be a slam dunk for president obama as many people say. governor romney is very effective in that type of venue and setting and he looks

baargointo bery, i think these very interesting. you saw both men at their best today. >> the great sasha eisenberg tweeted this was the mitt romney that david brooks has wanted to see all along, yut lining policy, fluent on thetopics. talk about the president for a second, steve. there has bn aotf consternation and critique in certain corners about the fact that the president isn't meeting with any world leaders. on one point on "the view" talking about what happened in terms of the death of ambassador chris stevens and your assessment of whether this was a good ve loirst of all, on the way he phrases the things on 60 minutes when he talked about the bump in the road he gave his litical opponents ammunition. i don't think there's going to be a long-term efct. the issue raised this week about he shoul hmet with netanya netanyahu, other world leaders, there's some political vulnerability and republicans are probably correct to pick up

on that. i think the most significant thing about the noise that's being made about all ts is that i think w have eight or the estif the economy, which was supposed to be the element of the romney campaign, voters are frustrated with obama, want to vote him out, in the last eight or ten polls on the question of whwould be better to handle the economy it's a draw. romney cpaign in that issue, that was the reason you were going wawnk itigy' recognizing that they're now moving on to foreign policy and trying to exploit openings here. i don't think obama is invulnerable on this stuff but when you look at the broader dynamics i have a hard time seeing how this is going to tn it around that dramatically. the situation in libya,e twhapp w chs stevens and do know as of -- the the has not had a press conference about it. the last we heard beyond jay carney's pressers, is susan rice saying this is unrelated to the video, a lotfy mrha

surrounds what went down. it makes sense mitt romney would try to exploit that for campaign purposes and because he probably does have questions as many of us do about what exactly went wn and whether there w breach of u.s. intelligence? >> i think both speeches today and overall of state of the re no iha con operative word for the administration. right. they don't want do anything to disturb the patterns in the rate which are all moving in their direction. the libya story has been the one sort of story that persistently is sortf gnawing away a bit at their need to keep things e nitioe w toanngo st of bring more attention to that, obviously. because right now look, most voters are not voting on foreign policy. this is a domestic policy election. there's a limited amount of currency that theomney campaign c get fro foreign di i interested in so their one -- >> foreign policy is an important subject, regardless of whether the american public is vote on it. jonathan, there's something about the optics of seeing

the president and first lady on "the view" talking about chris stevens and not meeting with worl leaders and noteeting with lears iidea ater o great change and, you know, what did you make of that in terms of the message that sends? >> well, look, i agree that the libya question, the libya ise, is a vulnerability, like the spelling bee -- it'sefuio another rd as well. >> here's the problem republicans have in terms of the optics question about the president being on "the view." mitt and ann romney were on "kly and michael," ann romney is going to be on leno tonight or in the coming days. gu the esidt m should be meeting with world leaders, not looking presidential when your own republican presidential nominee is talking about the fact that he wears very little to bed. >> but he is the president, and mitt romney is -- not the esident. >> the president is -- ol a tsy. >> but --

>> he's bold. >> wait a minute. but let me make this point. the idea that president is not in contact with world leaders is mind boggling. of course he's in contact with world leaders all the time. would it have been great if he had mit p mte netaahu d other leaders while they're here in new york for unga, yes, optimally -- i can't speak today, yes, it would have -- >> thee times slow. >> a great thing, but let's keep in mind, he's talking to those folks all the time. he doesn't nee to hand hold everybodveglmomef the day. >> president clinton did a good job dealing with this issue on "morning joe" when he said, look, he had an hour phone conversation with netanyahu last week. i mean you don't do necessarily optics number one and president clinton ma the point if you adyongot ecting wch forgn with,ou'r going to tick others off. if he just met with netanyahu and the libyan foreign minister he might tick off the egyptian leader. i think jothan's right.

plus, the republicans don't really wan to play in the fon poly barau 'sn hink the president's long suit. >> they also don't really have any specific foreign policy plan. >> they criticize on libya but the response is okay, what would you have done? >> right. >> go ahead. >> i thinkhere's another angle to consider on meeting with netaah we c acknowledge netanyahu would like obama to lose this election, better off having mitt romney in the white house. a flip side to that, i think rack obama would probably rather not have netanyahu as the prime minister of israel and ehud barack. in the elections coming up in isel next yenkf netanyahu speaking for israel, it's a divided republic in israel. his report has been slipping in the last year partly becau of domestic economic reasons but also because people think he's gone a little too far out on a limb with iran and too far out ineing confrontational with obama. if omaee ht ar length and manages to win re-election, netanyahu will have

egg on his face in israel and maybe a little more -- >> it is high stakes. he knows he has a window of opportunity to put pressure on the president to take action on iran and it is now. that said, i thought this was a very importantoint thate is that the tensions between mr. obama and the gulf states both american and arab diplomats say, derive from an obama character straight, trait, had he has not built many personal relationships with foreign leaders. you can't fix these problems s,talks to them on the phone. is it a bad thing to double down and meet them in person while they happen to be in new york city at the same time. i'm not prepared to let him off the hook. >> relationship with foreign leaders. for many decades this country had warm relations with a lot of dictators in that regi. ri osba right. we started doing business with moammar gadhafi during the bush administration. relationships with foreign leaders are not always nessarily a good thing either for the region or the flowering of democracy in that region or really for the united states.

so i think it's arguable that e iddot s joan it baby sit these leaders all the time. these sort of meetings that they're having now in a lot of ways are about the optics and i don't think th it was necessary for the president to pander to the jewish american vote meeting wit netanyahu, because 's in a goodlace dohi there were many imperatives for the president to sort of put on a show of taking care of this leader or that leader. he's also made it a point of his foreign policy to give america enough distance from some of the gulf states if a revolution takes ace e weavehe do t side of the opposition. >> also right, nobody is voting on this issue. this is insid baseball. do you think someone is at home saying he didn't meet with these leaders so i'm not going to vote for him. >> i'm thinking this more in terms of serving america's instd the something to be said not rock the boat strategy, the exon nous event that might change the race

if you are the obama -- >> exon nous. >> it's a big word. a great crossword word. if you are the obama campaign it would be good to tryo aeealm and carry on and let this play out as it has been brilliantly for them until november 6th. >> you're 12 points ahead in wisconsin. >> yes. >> in paul ryan's state. mind boggling. >> we will talkore about the campaign realities after the brea yoe lng l ahe clinton global initiative in new york city. president obama is expected to speak there in just a few moments. we will bring you his remarks live next on "now." bob... oh, h alex. just picking up some, brochures, posters copies of my acceptance speech. great! it's always good to have a backup an, in case i get hit by a mete.

eyid photoshop here. hey, good call on those mugs. can't let 'em see what you're drinking. you know, i'm glad we're both running a nice, clean race. no need to get nasty. here's your "honk if you had an affair wittaylor" yard sign. looks good. now save 50% on banners. something this delicious could only come from nature. now from the maker of splenda sweeteners, discover nectresse. the only 100% natural no-lorie sweeter made from the goodness of fruit. the rich, sweet taste of sugar. nothing artificial. ♪ 's all that sweet ever needs to be. new nectresse. sweetness natally. back new nectresse. a appveweetness natally. romney: "it's time to stand up to the cheaters" vo: tough on china? not mitt romney. when a flood of chinese tires threatened a thousand american jobs...

it was president obama who stood up to china and protected american workers. mittomatedma si. sndinup to china was "bad for the nation and our workers." american workers. how can mitt romney take on the cheaters... when he's taking their side? every room deserves to look us what our grearite color is? evfoepultes we made the right decision. so when we can feel our way through the newest, softest, and most colorful options... ...across every possible price range... ...our budgets won't be picking the style. ...across every possible price we will. more saving. mooi ...across every possible price we will. that's the power of the home depot. right now get $37 basic installation on all special order carpet. [ male announcer ] you start your day... love you, too. ...thinking about what's imptant to you -- your family...

...the mortgage... the kids' college tuition. [ cellphone ringing ] but life insurance? [ horn honking ] life is unpredictable. that's why at fidelity life we want yoto think about term life insurance -- taking care your fami's future expenses omngpeo it's easy. we get to know you and your needs, then give you our best quote and our competitors'. you choose and save up to 70%. at could mean $250,000 of coverage for just $15 a month. we offer pns with no medical exam, d we've been in business r 100 years. call fidelity life. ♪ or visit fidelitylife.com for your free quote. [ horn honks ] hey, honey. do we have life insurance? ♪ [ male announcer ] or visit fidelityle.co se fy'tu da

so let me be clear, america wants to resolve this issue through diplomacy and we believe that there is still time and space to do so. that time is not unlimited. the united states wi do what we must to prevent iran from obtain nlear ap that was president obama speaking at the u.n. general assembly this morning. steve, it's always an event whenever you have ahmadinejad from iran in the vicinity of -- >> let jonathan try to say it. >>ahmomajaha i can say. >> very good. >> vulnerability, however. >> you're vulnerable, not on ahmadinejad. but it's always -- he always has some kind of incendiary rhetoric and he has not disappointed this ti nbc wsepng tha iran's claim it conducted missile tests in the strait of

hormuz is quote pure fabrication. nonetheless of question of iran remains an issue for this president and see this morning he has to both reasse the globaludience that look,we, amic pree action to prevent iran from getting a nuclear weapon at the same time understanding there is no way we are going to iran and starting a war in the next six weeks. >> so much with the relationship and iael and netanyahu and the sense in the obama administrati's part if they rve sort of the attacks coming from netanyahu and his allies in the united states, they can emerge in a much stronger place after november to pursue a coue maybe not in line with where the hawks are in this country. they don want to be pressured into a situaon where yau isngefth election, forced to take a position before the election more hawkish than they want to go. they feel the leverage will be different if they get through this election after everything said about how weak obama is on iran, and thrown israel under the bus, get the through and

winssue dp in jewish support, we're talking about -- my turn, the dynamics -- >> it's going around. >> you know, little known fact wasn't covereduch by the press but the obama administration, secretary clinton, delisted real thorn in the side of iran, iran put heavy pressure on the united states to keep on the foreign terrorist list, the mek and the obama administration sent a message to the iranians, look, these people haven't committed any terrorismn 25, 30ears, the whole w has deedm, yeot going to blackmail u.s. policy. >> if you look at over all of the administration stance on iran with these sanctions which have demon strablely had hurt the iranian economy, it's why republicans don't want to take up the issue of foreign policy. ry said i wldav put eannsplac earlier. i'm not sure that's a bright line in the sand as far as the american voter is concerned or real foreign policy watcher.

>> his position appears to bes the same as the president's position. with peter alexanderesterday or maybe in the 60 minutes minutes interview asked if what mitt romney wants to go to war with iran he should say so. >> he has advisers that do. if you look at the people that surround mitt romney there are many of the same sort of neocons that surrounded george w. bush lubothis.-au dowro a they tend to favor an empty vessel candidate to give this ideology to. mitt romney is that nonideological guy and these guys maybe do want a war with iran, john bolton's that aren eaher brationale. >> i thought as i was watching his convention speech, going along, saying he's doing a good job, this is an a-minus, plus speech, and then he veered into foreign policy in the last few seconds and it s scary as can be the tone h took about an,

a russia, we're going to reinstate the cold war, third war in asia on the ground against iran, i was thinkg of independent voters saying oh, my gosh, this guy has lost me. >> noppetite for that. >> tt fits in with this broader narrative that mitt romney h tried turth abredent being weak on, you know, on american interests. you've written a book called a nation woosts, but we can't close out the show without mentioning it. the idea th somehow the president is apologizing for americ mt roey sdt agtoan na, my favorite part, he was making this big point about the bigness of the american heart and bigness of the american spirit and the next line was and i will never apologize to -- for america. it was like this is a complete fabrication and showshe something corrupt in you md ouie that. >> but it also shows that still, on september 25th is it? he still is using the language from the primary.

that's somethi that gens up the faright wing of the republican party and he doesn't need it a the governor said >> t oth posbili the, agre haven't been struck but expect it to be a more pivot from the romney campaign to the general election but the other thing is because of the success obama has had on foreign policy and national security issues and because in the republicans basically decided when he became president, jimmy carter 2 and treat himshiarck ka tour of weakness that's not what he's been as president, it's forced the republicans and romney and his campaign to have -- to assume that posture of being from the right and being more hawkish than obama. they've had to go way far to the right and you talk about this rhetoric on iran. wk tam become far ome more to obama's rit so there's a distinction there this is the way you have to talk and starts sounding out of the mainstream which it is >> the reagan carter dynamic is something they have doubled down on. paul ryan yesterday singhis and i'm reminded of 19 and tean, which is a wild, wildly

grossly inaccurate -- >> always 1979 -- >> yes. >> instead of morning in america it's 1979 tehran. even today mitt romney in his cgi spch talking abo rean ag ao raises taxes. >> reagan would have been a rhino in this republican party. the irony doting on the ghost of ronald reagan is he could not have survived in the current iteration of the republican party. ronald reagan said no to war with the soviet unn. ronald reagan actually sd y toucbe of nuclear weapons in both sides arsenal's. ronald reagan was a figure almost more comfortable in barack obama's democratic party and his wing -- >> don't say that too loudly. >> check your twitter feed. just exploded >> whaveoe b b we are waiting for the president to speak at the clinton global initiative. meanwhile, president obama and governor romney also spoke at nbc's education nation summit. big times.

we will discuss their remarks. also paul ryan weighs in on the last night's nfl controversy and brin itk toue president obama. all of that is next on "now." want to try to crack it? yeah, that's the way to do it! owe need itbire a little bit more vanilla? this is great! [ male announcer ] at humana, we believe there's never been a better time to share your passions... becausthe results... are you having fun doing this? yeah. that's a very nic cake! [ale announcer ] well, you can't beat them. [ giggles ] ohh! the value of spending time together that's a lot of work getting that one in! let's go see the birdies. [ male announcer ] one on one, sharing what you know. let's do it grandpa. that's why humana agents will sit down with you, tlisten and understand what's important to you. the right humn for you.

because when your medicare is taken care of, you can spend more time sharing your passions. wow. [ giggles ] [ male annocer ] with the people who matter most. i love you grandpa! i love you grandma! now you're aeal shern. alnocer ] humana.

thre's natural gas under my town. s a mehang ♪ it means cleaner, cheaper american-made energy. but we've got to be careful how we get it. design the wells to be safe. thousands of jobs. use the most advanced technology to ptect our water. billis in the enomy. at chevronif we can't do i right, we won't do it atll. we've got to think long term. we've got to think long term. ♪

and less saturated fat? it's eb. ertettutrition. egd's st es. better eggs. it's eb. did you guys watch that ckerame st nht i mean, give me a break. it is time to get the real refs and you ow what, it reminds me of presi obama and the economy. if you can'tet ithts tetout. >> that was paul ryan speaking at a town hall in cincinnati a few moments ago using last night's missed nfl call to take a shot at president obama. nothing ignites twitter le a blown call during a football game after the repcement refs fumbled a cal durmoay's

game between the seahawks and packers that gave seattle the win more folks are calling on the nfl to end its labor dispute th aia. >> that joke was a preplanned dig, wasn't an off the cuff joke. was it even funny? two, the nfl dispute. your thoughts on both? >> basic, if you're losing your home state by 12 points go back to the packers. >> ye >> that's number one. number two,t's lrous when governor romney was asked to evaluate president obama's performance in office, he gave him an "f" in every category. he lost credibility right then and there. jonathan and i were talking, he should have said on education nation, when he was asked about ne anrn duncan has done a great job. i would give serious consideration to keeping him. that's how you sound like a credible leader, someone that

wants to bring the nation together. barack obama on foreign policy had he's madeome mistakes but i would give him a plus. th'sowpcredibilityp these guys are ruv snjuvenile. >> he said i think it's laudable had he's taken on the unions but could not get arod to saying there was somebody i would keep in place. pridenobamkeptobes a pivotal moment in the nation's history. someone said, i can't remember where it was, probably at the paper, but said if -- >> probably at "the washington post." >> yes. "washington post that if mitt necan,hald be a wod ke bold move and figure that he would unleash, make that announcement during the debates to scramble everything. brian williams gave him the perfect opportunity right then and there to at least, you know, show a little leg and say, oh, well, he's a triy, like what he's doing, done the

right things, of course he would be in the mix of people who i would consider and he didn't take that opportunity. >> this is the fear we've talked about earlier on the shows and previous shows about opening the door to any kd of criticism ndg he middle. tes >> irrational, psychotic fear of the right. >> psychotic. they need you to punch barack obama in the face at all opportunities. it's ironic and funny they're support rg -- t nfl is the most socialist entity onarth besides soal securit itlf th arepog t union refs against the skabs. i think that is -- >> scott walker tweeting bring back the real refs. >> the union refs. >> and that is an amazing thing, is it not? now involvedn collectiv bargaining, the nfl released a statement about last night's gameaying e restsf e me ifiwh iba not making any friends -- >> get condi rice to come in to be the arbitrator. >> she was supposed to be the nfl commissioner back in the day. >> yeah. >> there's -- who knows.

>> we will be back with more actually on education nation and prest a' tught 'shougs a coming up. governor romney also tried to channel president obama during his speech at the clinton global initiative hoping to get a poll boost from president clinton as he tries to do so often. we will play romney's bump comment and discuss the rol cg narrative ahead on "now." [ female announcer ] ordinary lotions aren't made to treat eczema, so it can feel like you're using nothing at all. but neosporin® eczema essentials™ is different. its mti-action formula restores visibly healthier in in 3 days.

neosporin® eczema essentials™. made gluten-free cereals in a bunch of yummy flavors. like cinnamon chex, honey nut chex, and chocolate chex... we're in cereal heaven. so thanks. from the mcgregors, 'e lovex

president bill clinton is introducing president barack obama at t clinton gbal iative. s ate pde clinton. >> as a community organizer. and then he picked secretary of state who was a walking ngo. and so i'm vyratelte

made time to join us here today. he gave an important speech at the united nations earlier about all the things that are going on in the world and i am particularly appreciative of what he came here to speak about today, so mr. president, the dium is yours ananks for migain >>. [ applause ] >> thank you. thank you so much. thank you. thank you. thank you very much. thk you, twice. twice. thank you. appreciate it. please, everybody have a seat. well, good afternoon, everybody. and president clinton, thank you for your very kd introduction, althghavad i really did like the speech a few weeks ago a little bit better.

afterwards, somebody tweeted that -- somebody needs to make ings.ecretary of explaining although they didn't use the word things. prident clinton, you are a tireless, passionate advocate on behalf of what's best in our country. you have helped to improve and save the lives of millions of people around the world. i am grateful for your friendship and yr extraordinaryleship inkak f t entire country when we say that you continue to be a great treasure for all of us. [ applause ]

now as always, i also have to thank president clinton for being so understanding with the record-breaking number of countries visited by our secretary of state. [ applause ] as wngan recent days, hillary clinton is a leader of grace and grit and i believe she will go down as one of finest secretari of state in american history. [ applause ] >> so were grateful to her. to the dedicated cgi staff and every organization that's made commitments and touched the lives of hundreds of millions of pele, ank you for being an amplof w wee m o in the world, especially in washington. working together to actually solve problems. and that's why i'm here.

as bill mentioned i've come to cg every year tt ie b idan i talked with you about how we need to sustain the economic recovery, how we need to create m jobs and i've talked about the importance of development from global health to our fight against hiv/aids t the growth that lifts nations t prosperity. we talked aboutevelopment and itasolu women and girls, because by every benchmark nations that educate their women and girls end up being more successful. [ applause ] antoto dcuss an issue that relates to each of these challenges. it ought to concern every person because it is at the base of our common humanity. it ought to concern every mmunity because it tears a our cial fabric. it ought to concern every

business, because it distorts markets. it ought to concern every nation, because it endangers public health and fuels violence and organized ime. i am talking abo injustice, the outrage of human trafficking which must be called by it truce name, modern slavery. [ applause ] now, i do not use that word slavery lightly. it evokes obviously one of the most painful chapters in our nation's history but around the world, tre's no denying the awful reality. when a man desperate for work finds himself in a factory or fishing boat or a field working toiling for little or no pay and beaten if he tries to escape, that is slavery.

when a woman is locked in a eatppp i h as domestic servant alone and abused, and incapable of leaving, that's slavery. when a little boy is kidnapped, turned into a child soldr, forced to ll, o b lled that's slavery. when a little girl is sold by her impoverished family, girls my daughters' age, runs away from home or is lured byhe lsomise of a btere and then imprisoned in a brothel and tortured if he resists, that's slavery. it is barbaric and it is evil and it has no place in a civilized world. now, as a nation -- [ plause ]

as a nation, we've long rejected such cruelty, just a few days ago we marked the 150th anniversary of a document that i have hanging in the oval fice, the emancipation proclamation. with the advance of union forces it brought a new day that all persons held as slaves would then forth be fever free. we wrote that promise into our nstitution. ke it real.cades sgl t we joined with other nations in the universal declaration of human rights so that slavery and the slave tradehall be prohibited in all their forms. global movenwas srkit the trafficking victims protection act signed by president clinton and carried on by president bush. and here at cgi, you've made impressive commitments in this fight. we ares espially honored to be

joined today by advates ca their lives and at times risk their lives to liberate victims and help them recover. this includes men and women of faith, who like the great abolitionists before them, are truly doing the lord's work. evangelicalsthe catholic church, international justice mission, and world relief, even individual congregations like passion city church in atlanta, and so many young people of faith who have decidedhat their conscience compels them to act in the face of injustice groups like these are answering the bible's call, to seek justice and rescue the oppressed. some of them join us today and we are grateful for your leership. now as president, i've made it clear that the united states will contie toe a lr i this global movement. we've got a comprehensive strategy, we're shining a spotlight on the dark corners where it persists, under

hillary's leadership we're doing more than ever with our annual trafficking report. with new outreach and panerships tgiveoues incentives to meet their responsibilities and calling them out when they don't. i recently renewed sanctions on some of the worst abusers including north korea and aura tree ya, we're partnering with groups that help women and children escape from the gp of thr abusers, helping other countries step up their own efforts and seeing results. more nations have passed and more are enforcing modern anti-trafficking laws. last week, i was proud to welcome to the oval offeot ly a great cio democracy, but a fierce advocate against the use of forced labor and child soldiers, aung san suu kyi. [ applause ] and as part of ourenme

we'll encourage burma to keep takingteps to reform because nations must speak with one voice. our people and our children are not for sale. but for all the progress that we've made, the bitter truth is thffngos on right here in the united states. it's the migrant worker unable to pay off the debt to his trafficker. the man lured here with the promise of a job, his documents taken and forced to work endless hours in a kitchen. theeena gbe, fd to walk the streets. this should not be happening in the united states of america. as president i directed my administration to step up our efforts and we have. for the first time at hillary's direction our annual ticki rert n includes the united states because we can't ask other nations to do what we are not doing ourselves. [ applause ]

we've expanded our interagenc taskorce ideor ral partners including the fbi, the intelligence community is devoting more resources to identifying trafficking networks, we've strengthened protections that foreign born workers ow their rights and most of all we're going after the traffickers. ne anti-traffickiea a dismantling their networks. last year we charged a record number of these predators with human trafficking. we're putting them where they belong, behind bars. but -- [ applause but with more than 20 million victims of human trafficking around the world, think about that, more than 20 million, we've got a lot more to do. that's why earlier this year i directed my administration to inease our effor and tay i nou aerf additional steps that we're going to take.

first we're going to do more to spot it and stop it. we'll prepare a new assessment of human trafficking in the united states so we better understand the scope andcale of the problem. 'l strgthetraining s investigators and law enforcement are even better equipped to take action. and treat victims as victims, not as criminals. [ applause ] we're goin to wor witra anusnd truck inspectors so they're on the lookout, we'll help teachers and educators spot the signs as well. and better serve those who are vulnerable, especially our young people. second, we're turning the table on the traffickers. just a t aowng technology and the internet to exploit their victims we're going to harness technology to ston them. we're encouraging tech companies and advocates and law enforcement and we're also challenging college students to

develop tools that our young pele can use to sy safe inndth smho third, we'll do even more to help victims recover and rebuild their lives. we'll develop a new action plan to improve coordination across the federal government. we're increasing access to seices to help survivors come self-fficie. we're working to simplify visa procedures so that innocent victims from other countries can stay here as they help us prosece their affickers. this coming year my office of faith based partnerships wl afin focus of its work n and i'm also proud -- they're doing great work. i'm so proud to announce a new partnership with humanity united which is a leader in anti-trafficking. a multimillion-dollar cllge to lalortio w to care for trafficking victims. i want to thank john hop kips

university which will be focusing on how to best care for child victims. [ applause ] nalls e of the largest purchasers of goods and services in the world the united states government will lead by example. we've already taken steps to make sure our contractors do not engage in forced labor and today we're going to go further. i've signed a new ecutive order that raises b it's specific about the prohibitions. it does more to protect workers, ensures stronger mpliance, in short we're making clear that american tax dlars must never, ever, be used to support the trfickinof hum gs il have zero tolerance, we mean what we say, we will enforce it. [ applause ] of course no government, no

nation can meet this challenge alon everybody has a responsibility. every nation can take action. mode anti-trafficking laws must be passed and enforced. justice systems must be strengthened. victims mu be cared for. ngss should renew the trafficking victims protection act, whether you are conservative or liberal, democrat or republican, this is a no-brainer, this is something we should all agree on. we nee to get that done. more broadly as tion's recommit to addressing the underlining forces that push so many into the first place. with legitimate jobs there's less likelihood of indred rvite around the globe. a sense of justice that says no child should ever be exploited, that has to be burned into the

cultures of every country. a commitment to equality as in the equal futures partnerip that we launched wi other nations yesterday, so sties wer sisters and our daughters, just as much as our brothers and sons. [ applause ] and every business can take ac,ll tins leaders here in our global economy, companies have a responsibility to make sure their supply chains stretching into the far corners of the globe, are free of forced labor. ld sees to higher ande standards. and today i want to salute the new commitments that are being made. that includes the new global business coalition against trafficking. companies that are sending a message, human trafficking is not a business model, it is a crime and we are going to stop it. we'rproud them.

every faith community can take action as well. by educating their congregations, by joining in coalitions that are bound by a lo of god and a conceor the oppressed. like that good samaritan on the road to jericho, we can't just pass by. we've got to be moved by coassion. we've got to bind up the wou ut a o brother's und se keepers and sister's keepers. and finally, every citizen can take action by learning more, by going to the website that we helped create, slavyfootprint.org, kip insisting the clothes we wear, the food we eat, the products we buy are made free of forced labor, by standing up against the

degradation and abuse of women. that's how real change happens, from the bottom up. and ifoubt that, ask marie goday ota from the congo. think of marie's story. kidnapped by rebels, tned in a slave. abused physically and sexually. they got her pregnant five times. in one awful battle her children were killed, all five of them. miraculously she survived and escaped. anthend support she began to heal. she learned to read and write and sew and today marie is back home working toward a new future. or ask ema matu, grew u in nean 1 was given the opportunity to work as a nanny here in the united states

but when she arrived it turned out to be a nightmare. cooking, cleaning, hour days, seven days a week, one beating was so bad it sent her to the emergency room. finally she escapedith t f a group that cared, today she has a stable job, advocate, she's even testified before congress. or, ask sheila white, who grew up in the bronx, fleeing an abusive homeshe fell in with a s he would protect her. he sold her just 15 years old. 15. to men who rapeder and beat her and burned her with irons. and finally after years with the hesuorhe fnd the fi led b courage to break free and get the services she needed. sheila earned her ged, today she is a powerful, fierce advocate who helped to pass a new anti-trafficking law right here

in new york. [ applause ] . >> these women endured unspeakable horror but in their unka,ir coage, in their resilience, they remind us that this cycle can be broken. victims can become not only survivors, they can become leaders and d owe cats and bring about change. and i just met em sa their fellow advocates and they are an incredible inspiration. they are here, they've chosen to tell their stories. i want them to stand and be recognized bause ty are eairinall u sheila, ima. [ applause ]

to ema and sheila and each of you, in the darkest hours of your lives, you may have felt utterly alone and seemed like nobody cared. and the important thing for us to understand is there are millions around the world who are feeling that same way this very moment. right now, there is a man on a boat casti the net with his bleeding nds, knowing he

deserves a bter li aif dignity, but doesn't know if anybody is paying attention. right now, there's a well hunched over a sewing machine glancing beyond the bars on the window knowing if just given the chance, she might some day sl heown resuthesn thany is paying attention. right now there's a young boy in a brick factory covered in dust hauling his load under the sun thinking if he could go to scol he might know a different fu but hoe t anybody's paying attention. right now there is a girl, somewhere trapped in a brothel, crying herself to sleep again, and maybe daring to imagine that some day, justmaybe, she might be treated n the like a piece in pperty buts a ma and so our message today to them is, to the millions around the

world, we see you. we hear you. we insist on your dignity and we share your belf that if just given the chanouge aealoour talents and worthy of your dreams. and our fight -- [ applause ] ouright against human trafficking is one of the great human rights causes of o t tnist w coinue to lead it in partnership with you. the change we seek will not come easy, but we can draw strength from the movements of the past. for we know that every life octiis a of words of that great justice, worthy of the consider ate judgment of mankind and the gracious favor of all mighty god. that's what we believe. that's what we're fighting for. i'm so proud to be in panershiwi t m

this happen. thank you very much, everybody. god bless you. god bless america. >> that was president obama speaking at the global -- clinton global initiative and addressing theifficult and sensitivessfan trafficking. that does it for us today. thanks again to jonathan, governor rendell, joy and steve, andemember to catch steve today and every week day on "the cycle" at 3:00 p.m. eastern here on msnbc. i'll see you back here tomorw at noon eastern, 9:00 pacific inedythshon post's" melinda headen berger, new york magazine's john heilemann, freshly minted emmy winner and new york "time" magazi magazine. "andrea mitchell reports" is next, live from new york cit go eveng andrea. >> good afternoon. on "andrea mitchell reports"" is this the red line at the u.n. president obama issues a warning to iran.

>> america wants to resolve this issue through diplomacy and there is sll te anspto o. but that time is not unlimited. make no mistake a nuclear armed iran is not a challenge that could be contained. it would threaten the elimination of israel, the security of gulf nations and the stability of the global economy. >> and a message for those tidea oge >> there are no words that excuse the killing of innocence, no video that justifies an attack on an embassy. >> only a few blocks away, mitt romney at the clinton global iniative says president obama's policies aren't wog. >> iran is moving toward nuclear weapons capability. we somehow feel we're at the mercy of events rather than shaping events. >> and governor romne jokes about his host, bill clinton. if t's te've learned in this election season,

by the way, it is that a few words from bill clinton can do a man a lot of good. all i got to do now is wait a couple days for that bounce to happen. >> education nation, as s.t. scmm a four-decades low, president oma and mitt romney both lay out contrasting proposals for the classroom today. plus, the woman in charge, my exclusive interview with imf chief christine lagarde on the global financial cris and shattering that glass ceiling. >> do you find that there are men in finance or in government who treat you in a patrozing way. >> oh, yeah. yeah. of cours >> really? >> tell us who. >> and the controversialal askeanyi fo the nfl on defense as outraged fans want to sideline those replacement refs. >> good day. i'm andrea mitchell live in new york today. the